Hamilton School, Birmingham
Hamilton School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 14 in Birmingham, part of Birmingham Special Schools Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hamilton School in detail
Hamilton School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I have been Headteacher here for a number of years now and am immensely proud to be in a position where I have the opportunity to make a difference to our pupils' lives and those of their families. At Hamilton School all pupils have a diagnosis of Autism and all pupils have an EHCP."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Hamilton School are Myles Academy (0.4 miles, Outstanding); Elm Tree Primary Academy (1.3 miles); Mayfield School (1.4 miles, Requires improvement); and Oakbridge School (2 miles, Good).
Myles AcademyElm Tree Primary AcademyMayfield SchoolOakbridge School
The trust
Hamilton School is one of 6 schools run by Birmingham Special Schools Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
18 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hamilton School (as of September 2025): 94% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
61.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 33.7% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (49%), Black (20%) and White British (14%).
Almost every pupil at Hamilton School has an education, health and care plan (196 of 196 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Hamilton School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs and autism.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Handsworth Booth Street (West Midlands Metro), about 700 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Holyhead Way (opposite), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hamilton School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hamilton School issued 1 suspension, 0.6 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2015, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hamilton School excels at making every pupil feel welcomed, valued and happy. The school prioritises mental health support and celebrates each child's background, culture and individual needs. Reading is taught particularly well with well-trained staff, and pupils benefit from enriching experiences like farm visits and involvement in school democracy through their enthusiastic parliament.
Key Strengths
- Pupils are happy and well-supported with excellent mental health provision and strong safeguarding arrangements
- Phonics teaching is well-delivered with staff receiving strong professional development
- Personal development is a key strength with visits to farms, aquatic centres and places of worship, plus a school parliament that pupils are proud of
- Staff understand pupils' interests and backgrounds, celebrating their families' cultures, religions and languages
- Caring, ambitious leaders with governing body support who have accurately identified areas for improvement
Areas for Improvement
- Classroom learning activities do not always match what pupils need to learn and don't build on existing knowledge, slowing progress
- Early years children don't receive enough high-quality interactions with staff to develop independence and communication skills quickly enough
- Staff do not consistently implement agreed communication and behaviour strategies, leaving some pupils unable to express their needs
- Early years provision is not yet at the quality needed
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Lunchtime clubs, farm visits, aquatic centre visits, places of worship visits, supermarket visits, residential visits, school parliament, after-school provision
Hamilton School is a special school for pupils aged 4-13 with autism and learning difficulties that is undergoing significant expansion with new leadership. The school requires improvement in education quality and early years provision, though behaviour, attitudes, and leadership are rated as good.
At a Glance
61.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
18 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Hamilton School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hamilton School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hamilton School is in Birmingham; for families living there:
- How to apply: Travel passes for 5 to 16 year olds
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 91
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 20
- Children hurt
- 19
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 91 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 20 serious and 70 slight.
19 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 13 in a vehicle or otherwise.
14 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
85%
Available places
196 pupils
230 places
34 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Birmingham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Birmingham
Across Birmingham council
Places available
14,956
Applications
14,483
Got 1st preference
75.7%
Got preferred school
97.4%
All secondary applications across Birmingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
196
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Hamilton School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs and autism.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
196
Total Pupils
149
Boys
47
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
8.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,792
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.8%
Overall absence
22.8%
Persistent absence
171
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Hamilton School
What are SATs results like at Hamilton School?
Of the pupils at Hamilton School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Hamilton School's Ofsted rating?
Hamilton School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Hamilton School?
No fixed boundary. When Hamilton School is oversubscribed, Birmingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Hamilton School?
Hamilton School has around 196 pupils on roll. 61% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Hamilton School have specialist SEN provision?
Hamilton School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs and autism.
What is attendance like at Hamilton School?
8.8% of sessions were missed at Hamilton School in 2024/25. 22.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hamilton School?
Apply through Birmingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Hamilton School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Hamilton School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 91 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 20 serious and 70 slight. 19 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot and 13 in a vehicle or otherwise. 14 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Birmingham is 41 (the median across 517 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hamilton School?
Hamilton School is at Hamilton Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, West Midlands, B21 8AH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)